The Exercise You Can Do With A Beach Towel

We love body-weight workouts. And why not? A good one can sky-rocket your heart rate, burn a ton of calories, and help relieve stress. The downside: If you have zero equipment—for example, no chinup bar—you won't be able to work the muscles of your back. And that's a shame, since ignoring your back not only means you burn fewer calories, but it can also lead to poor posture.

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The good news: a beach towel can help! By strategically positioning the towel, you can perform an isometric row—an exercise in which you contract your back muscles hard and hold them that way. Plus, because you stand in a split stance, the exercise forces your hip muscles to contract hard, too. Read: Your glutes will burn! And if that's not enough, it's also a simple way to pump up your biceps—which might come in handy if you're actually using the beach towel on the beach.

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No, it doesn't look like much. But watch the video above to see how to do the Isometric Towel Row with perfect form—and then give it a try. You'll probably be surprised at how challenging this exercise is. Try holding the position for 20 to 30 seconds, and then switch sides and repeat. Bonus: You can also use the towel to create a great ab exercise. Just wrap the towel around your body at your lower back, and get into the "up" position of a pushup, with one end of the towel anchored under each hand. Now hold that position for 30 to 60 seconds. The towel will be "pushing" your body toward the floor; your job is to resist letting it change your posture or moving you even an inch.

And if you're ready for total-body transformation, you have to check out SPEED SHRED—the first-ever DVD fitness program from Men's Health. With 18 workouts—and hundreds of cutting-edge exercises—this plan will change the way you train forever. All to get you lean, ripped, and shredded!

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